Home

10%

CSUB marks ‘full-circle moment’ for student veteran

Maria Colon resumes higher education after decades-long absence

By California State University, Bakersfield

November 15^th, 2024

When Delano native Maria Colon began her higher education journey in 1976 at College of the Sequoias (COS) in Visalia, she quickly found herself experiencing roadblocks.

“I wasn't into school. I was never really a good student,” she said. “I just I struggled a lot with classes.”

After spending two years trying to succeed at the college, Colon ultimately decided to put her education on hold and joined the U.S. Marine Corps, where she would spend 25 years on active duty.

Colon, 66, didn’t resume college after retiring from the military. It wasn’t until after COVID-19 hit in 2020, more than 40 years after leaving COS, that she decided to take advantage of her veteran benefits and give it another shot.

Colon completed her community college coursework before transferring to California State University, Bakersfield in 2022. She is set to graduate next spring with her bachelor’s in public policy and administration and is planning to pursue a Master of Public Administration degree at the university.

“I really like being here at CSUB. I’ve met so many great people,” Colon said. “I can’t wait to graduate next year. It feels like a nice full-circle moment.”

Dr. Chandra Commuri, chair of the Public Policy and Administration Department, said he is very proud of Colon’s accomplishments at CSUB.

“As a veteran, she had a unique perspective on public administration issues,” he said. “I especially appreciated the respectful attitude she modeled for everyone in class. She showed that we can all have different experiences and perspectives, but we should always treat each other kindly and with respect. I wish her the best.”

Higher education has been a long and winding journey for Colon. She found the college experience to be a vastly different from what she remembered, especially in terms of technology and its prevalent role in the classroom.

“It was very intimidating when I first got here,” she said. “I had to use a computer, but I didn’t know anything about Excel or PowerPoint. I didn’t know anything about APA and MLA style, things like that. I had to learn how to do all of that.”

Colon relied heavily on the Veterans Success Center on campus to help her navigate the university, especially in her first year.

“That was like my safe place,” she said. “I used to just sit there trying to figure out how to work everything. There are so many little things that you don't know when you come here, but you have a lot of resources here that you can take advantage of that will help.”

Colon also received assistance from Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD). She had nerve pain for a long time after completing her military service before she was ultimately diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Her pain and the anxiety it caused led Colon to struggle in classes when she first came to CSUB.

“I lost it in one of my classes because I couldn't focus, so I went to (SSD) and they helped me,” she said. “I wish that all veterans would use the disability center because they're really good, and it's nothing to be ashamed of. These conditions that we have, we obtain them in service to our country, but it doesn’t mean you’re weak — it’s just the new you.”

After receiving a lot of support services on campus and getting used to the college environment, Colon said she was able to focus on her coursework and is now in a much better position.

“It’s not intimidating to me as it was at the start. I feel like I’ve come a long way,” she said. “I don’t care what age you are: you can always learn.”

Colon after graduating from boot camp in 1979.

Colon, center in front row, graduated from the Parris Island drill school in 1988.

For love of country

Colon believes her experience as a Marine helped prepare her for the logistical and educational challenges she has faced at CSUB.

She spent her first eight years in the corps working in California and North Carolina as a finance clerk before opting to switch gears and become a drill instructor in 1987 at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Parris Island, South Carolina, where she helped oversee the basic training of recruits.

“I like the challenges of physical fitness in being a Marine, but it’s not my character to be tough. I consider myself more easy-going,” she said. “I felt imposter syndrome, because that wasn't me, but you have to get tough to be a good drill instructor. You have to be able to do everything the recruits do but do it better.”

Colon initially struggled with her transition into the life of a drill instructor but ultimately found the experience to be very rewarding, especially in seeing the impact that she was able to have on recruits.

“It was good because you saw the beginning and the end, because you’re with them 24/7,” she said. “You see how they didn't know anything when they got there and by the end, you see the change in them.”

Colon returned to working in finance during her second tour, this time as a travel auditor. She spent three years in Okinawa, Japan, where she would meet and marry her husband, Ildefonso Colon Jr., who was an infantryman at the time. After her three years in Japan, Colon was promoted to gunnery sergeant.

Colon returned to the Parris Island drill field in 1993 and this time was tasked with supervising around 30 drill instructors.

“It’s like just training the recruits — making sure they were staying up to date with their training, making sure they had all the resources they needed,” she said.

Colon finished her second tour there before being assigned to Hawaii to continue her work as an auditor. During this period, she was selected for promotion to first sergeant.

Then the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks happened, which changed everything. Colon had to prepare for the possibility of going into combat for the first time. She received combat training at Camp Pendleton before being deployed to Iraq in January 2003.

“We weren’t prepared for war at all. We’d been in peacetime for such a long time, so it was scary,” she said. “But we were all in the same boat. You’ve got your team, and you know that they know what they need to do.”

Colon served in a combat service support battalion, which is responsible for providing services such as mail, mortuary affairs, supplies, food, fuel and more for the infantry. As first sergeant, Colon was responsible for around 280 Marines in the battalion.

The battalion would typically travel in a convoy behind the infantry that were making their way to the capital of Baghdad. Colon recalls shots being fired at the convoy during their travels as well as one time when the support unit got caught in a nighttime sandstorm that was so severe it caused all vehicles to stop for a time due to low visibility.

“That was so scary,” Colon said. “You couldn’t see clearly in front of you. Everything around you was this orange-red color.”

The scariest situation she experienced happened in April 2003 after Baghdad was taken over by U.S. forces and shortly before President George W. Bush prematurely declared “Mission Accomplished” in Iraq.

Colon’s unit was preparing to be deployed back to the U.S. Instead of taking the unused ammunition with them, Colon said a controlled burn was authorized to dispose of it, which was considered a cheaper option than transporting it.

There was just one problem: The wind picked up on the day the burn was scheduled to take place, causing the fire to spin out of control.

“There was a big explosion. All the windows shattered,” said Colon, who at the time was in a building participating in Easter services.

Colon ran out of the building and into a nearby vehicle with three other Marines. As it began to move, additional explosions rattled the vehicle and forced Colon and the other Marines to exit and run for cover.

“We thought we were being attacked, so we went to grab our weapons. We had no idea what was going on,” she said. “I saw these Marines running around, and you could see the fear in their eye.”

Colon helped get her fellow Marines to safe distance as the fire continued to consume ammo and equipment and damage the surrounding property.

“That was really scary because we all could have been blown up,” she said. “Being in a combat environment, you never know if today is your last day, but you do it because you love your country.”

Colon finished her tour in June and, a few months later, decided it was time to retire from the military. While her final tour was stressful, Colon said she’s grateful for the experience she had in the Marine Corps.

“I enjoyed being in the military because it changed me as an individual,” she said. “I was very shy, very timid. That’s not the person I am now. I’m a lot stronger.”

CSUB marks ‘full-circle moment’ for student veteran

'An outstanding student'

Colon spent the first 15 years after her retirement in Puerto Rico, where most of her husband’s family lived. She said it was a challenge getting used to civilian life at first, but Colon grew to enjoy her time there.

She joined veterans’ organizations such as the American Legion and volunteered her time working with veterans to make sure they were receiving the services they needed.

After her husband’s parents died, the couple moved back to the U.S. and, more specifically, Kern County. Now living in Tehachapi and having raised five children, Colon began considering giving college another shot.

When it came time to decide what to major in when she got to CSUB, she decided to go with public policy and administration because she hopes to one day become a veteran service representative or claims agent, either in her own office or for a nonprofit organization.

“I really want to help the community and make sure veterans are getting the services they’ve earned,” she said. “There are a lot of veterans that need help from individuals like me, someone whose gone through the process and knows what they’re going through.”

While Colon is excited to see what the future has in store for her, she’s not in any rush to leave CSUB. She said she’s enjoyed her time here getting to know other students, including fellow veterans. Colon has also taken the opportunity to try new things, such as signing up for a music class this semester despite having no prior experience.

“I was like, ‘you know what, I’ll try it out,’” she said. “It was out of my comfort zone, but it’s been so fun.”

Jamie Pacheco, coordinator of CSUB’s Veterans Success Center, said she has enjoyed seeing Colon grow and become more confident in herself over these past few years.

“I couldn't be prouder of her accomplishments. Her inspiring story resonates with many,” she said. “She’s knowledgeable and well-rounded, and her dedication to helping fellow veterans speaks volumes about her character. I am grateful our paths have crossed. CSUB is fortunate to have such an outstanding student.”

While the thought of going back to college after such a long absence was daunting to Colon, she’s thankful that she decided to give it a chance. She encourages other veterans who may be on the fence about going to college to do so as well.

“I think every veteran should come back to school,” Colon said. “You can’t go backwards — you can only go forward, and one of the best ways to go forward in life is in education.”